High Voltage Elementary: Deal or No Deal

Living On Leftovers

In today’s society, we are taught to “look out for number one”. Even in the church we often hear Christians saying, “I would love to give money to God’s work, but only after I pay for all my bills and other things I need.” We end up giv- ing God our leftovers instead of giving Him the “first fruits” of our labor. God has a plan for our lives. That plan also includes our finances (our money). If we will put Him first in our finances, then He will take care of our needs. In this lesson, the children will learn that we shouldn’t put money before God in our lives. If we will give to God first, then He will make sure we have all that we need. It’s God’s amazing deal! It’s our choice...Deal? Or No Deal?
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Living On Leftovers

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Classroom Instructions

Countdown
Countdown VideoCountdown Video
Intro Video
Lesson VideoLesson Video
Game TimeMaterials: This game is based on the NBC gameshow. You will need ten “cases” (or containers) numbered 1-10 on the outside of the “cases”; large pieces of card stock with the amount of money or value of each prize on them; ten volunteers to hold each case; one worker to play “The Banker”
Illustrated Message - Game: Deal or No DealIllustrated Message - Game: Deal or No Deal

Have the ten volunteers come up and give each of them a “case”. Each of them must NOT open the case until you instruct them to do so. Choose one player to come up and play.

Explain to the player that there are ten cases numbered 1-10. Each of them has an amount of money (or points or prizes) inside. Tell them that their goal at the beginning of the game is to pick which of the ten cases has the biggest prize in it. Once they have chosen, place that case (unopened) to the side.

Introduce “The Banker” to the audience and the players. Explain that at different spots in the game (after rounds 3, 6, 8 and 9), “The Banker” will call and offer the player an amount of money (or prize) to quit the game. His offer will be based on what amounts are still “up for grabs in the cases that are left. He is trying to offer you a deal to get out of the game (thus keeping him from having to give the player the maximum amount possible). The player can either accept the offer or decline the offer (“Deal? Or No Deal?”).

Now, the game begins. Each “round”, the player will choose a numbered case, and the holder of the case will open it to reveal how much money is in the case. The hope is to eliminate the cases with the lower prize amounts first.

When the banker “calls” to offer a deal, have the audience try to help the player choose whether or not they should take the deal. Play up the drama. It should be a lot of fun.

The game is over when the player either accepts a deal from the banker or eliminates all of the cases but the one chosen. At that point, reveal what is in the player’s chosen case. That is their prize.

Deal or No Deal Game slide unavailable

Puppet SkitMaterials: Silly Willy Puppet. Optional song “For The Love of Money” by The O’Jays

Leader: What a cool day today. I can’t wait to learn all about “Deal Or No Deal”...

Optional: (Silly Willy comes out to the song “For The Love of Money” by The O’Jays; Silly Willy is going crazy because he is so excited)

Leader: Silly Willy! Are you all right?! What are you so excited about?

Silly Willy: I’ll tell you exactly what I’m excited about! I won! I won!!

Leader: You won? What did you win?

Silly Willy: The contest! The contest!

Leader: What contest? What are you talking about?

Silly Willy: The radio contest! The guy asked a trivia question and the first person to call in with the right answer won $100! I called in and I WON! Now, I’m rich, I’m rich, I’m RICH!

Leader: Well, that’s wonderful, Silly Willy! What are you going to do with all that money?

Silly Willy: I don’t know yet. I will probably buy a new DVD player, and some new CDs, and some candy, and maybe a new car!

Leader: WOW! You’re going to buy all that with $100?

Silly Willy: I don’t know, but I am going to try.

Leader: Well, I am wondering. How much of that money are you going to give to God?

Silly Willy: What? What are you talking about?

Leader: You see, the Bible teaches us that we are to give ten percent of all the money we make to Him to build His Kingdom so others can hear about His love. Ten percent. It’s called the tithe.

Silly Willy: Ten percent? Are you kidding? Ten percent of $100 would be...$10! That’s a lot of money. I don’t think I can afford to give God that much.

Leader: Can’t afford it? But, you have $100 right now. If you give God the tithe (ten percent) FIRST, then you will have plenty of money leftover to buy the things you need.

Silly Willy: But, ninety is not enough. I’ll just give God what’s left over.

Leader: Can I ask you a question? Who is the one who blessed you with that money to begin with?

Silly Willy: That’s easy. It was the radio guy.

Leader: Well, he may have given it to you, but the Bible teaches us that every good blessing we receive comes from God. That means that God is the one who gave you that money to begin with. Shouldn’t you give to Him FIRST instead of giving Him your leftovers?

Silly Willy: Well, yeah, I guess you are right. That’s kind of selfish of me to want to spend it all on myself and not put God first.

Leader: It sure is. Besides, our Power Verse today teaches us that if we will give to God first, then He will make sure that we get all that we need.

Silly Willy: Wow! I sure am glad I talked to you today. I am going to give God my tithe (that’s ten percent) first and trust Him to provide for everything I need. I’m not gonna give God my leftovers.

Leader: Good decision! We’ll see you later, Silly Willy!

Silly Willy: See you later everyone! Bye

Illustrated MessageMaterials: 1 bowl fresh hot spaghetti, 1 bowl of old nasty dried up leftover spaghetti, several pieces of play or real money
Illustrated Message - Title SlideIllustrated Message - Title Slide

Hold up money

Money is very important in our lives. You need money to pay bills, to buy food, to put gas in your car, to do just about anything. A lot of people put their entire life’s focus and energy on getting as much money as they possibly can. They will work long hours, sacrifice relationships, even steal from others in order to get more and more money.

Although money is important it should never be the #1 most important thing in our lives. GOD should always be #1. If we put money before God, it becomes an idol. That is sin.

To help us understand the place that money should come in our lives, today we are going to learn three very important things about money.

Illustrated Message - Everything I Own Belongs To GodIllustrated Message - Everything I Own Belongs To God

God made everything. He made you. He made me. He gave us life. He also gave us the strength and the abilities we have that help us make money. If God created me, and everything I have is a result of the gift of life He gave me, then it only makes sense that everything I have I received from God. Right?

You see, the Bible teaches that all things were created by God and belong to God. He chooses to give those things to His children. We must realize that everything we have belongs to God. We can’t say, “This is MY money!’ We can’t say, “This is MY stuff!” Everything we have we received from Him. He is just letting us use it while we are here on Earth.

I hear so many people say, “I can’t give that much of MY money to God. I know it is important to pay the tithe (ten percent of all money we make is to go to the church to help tell others about Jesus), but I just can’t afford to give that much of MY money to God.” Remember, it’s not YOUR money.

I also hear people say, “Well, I will use my money to pay my bills, buy important stuff for me, and if I have some money left over, then I will give that to God. If not, then oh well.”

Picture this with me. You are invited over to someone’s house. They are honoring you as their guest. They say, “You are my guest." I am honored that you are here. Please sit down at my table. I have a special meal I have prepared for you.” Then, they bring out some fresh steaming hot spaghetti they have prepared just for you.

Bring out the HOT spaghetti and play it up.

Now, that would be awesome wouldn’t it? You would definitely feel honored.

Now, picture this with me. You are invited over to someone’s house. They are honoring you as their guest. They say, “You are my guest. I am honored that you are here. Please sit down at my table. I have a special meal I have prepared for you.” Then, they bring out some nasty dried up spaghetti that they had fixed several nights earlier.

Bring out the dried up leftover spaghetti and play it up.

They are giving you leftovers. Now, does that make you feel honored? Of course not. That is exactly what we do to God sometimes.

Illustrated Message - I Must Not Give God My LeftoversIllustrated Message - I Must Not Give God My Leftovers

Many times we say we will give to God if we have some left over. Instead, we should be choosing to put God FIRST in our lives. We give to him FIRST. That is how we show that we honor Him.

Remember our Power Verse today? It says, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness...” You see, the tithe is supposed to come out of the FIRST ten percent of the money we make, not the LAST. If you put God first, that shows that you honor Him.

I know what many of you are thinking. “But, what do I do if I pay my tithe and I don’t have enough to pay for the things I must have?” Well, what did the rest of our Power Verse say? “...and all these things will be given to you as well."

Illustrated Message - Put God First, And He Will Take Care Of The RIllustrated Message - Put God First, And He Will Take Care Of The R

If we honor God by putting Him first, recognizing that He owns everything we have anyway, then He will make sure our lives are taken care of. Now, that doesn’t mean that we can pay our tithe then make a Christmas Wish List of all the things we want God to give us. But, it does mean that if we put God first before money, then He will make sure our needs are met. That’s God Deal. And, it’s a great deal. It’s our choice. We can either live the way He planned for us and say, “DEAL!” Or we can decided to try to make it on our own and say, “NO DEAL!” I don’t know about you, but I think God’s deal is a GREAT deal!

Play soft music

Pray that the kids will never choose to put money before God. Have them stand if they have decided to say, “DEAL” to God. Then, challenge them to bring money for the offering next week.

Review Questions

  1. What was today’s Big Idea? Answer: God’s Deal Is A Great Deal!

  2. What was the name of the guy on the video who taught us? Answer: Ed E. Money

  3. What did Ed E Money make the guy drink? Answer: A raw egg

  4. What was Ed E. Money’s daughter’s name? Answer: Penny

  5. How much money did Silly Willy win? Answer: $100

  6. Where did he win the money? Answer: From the radio station

  7. What is it called to give God ten percent of the money you make? Answer: The tithe

  8. What was today’s Power Verse? Answer: “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

  9. Everything I own belongs to __________. Answer: God

  10. Should we give God our leftovers? Answer: No!

Living On Leftovers Instructions

Intro Video
Lesson VideoLesson Video
Game TimeMaterials: This game is based on the NBC gameshow. You will need ten “cases” (or containers) numbered 1-10 on the outside of the “cases”; large pieces of card stock with the amount of money or value of each prize on them; ten volunteers to hold each case; one worker to play “The Banker”
Illustrated Message - Game: Deal or No DealIllustrated Message - Game: Deal or No Deal

Have the ten volunteers come up and give each of them a “case”. Each of them must NOT open the case until you instruct them to do so. Choose one player to come up and play.

Explain to the player that there are ten cases numbered 1-10. Each of them has an amount of money (or points or prizes) inside. Tell them that their goal at the beginning of the game is to pick which of the ten cases has the biggest prize in it. Once they have chosen, place that case (unopened) to the side.

Introduce “The Banker” to the audience and the players. Explain that at different spots in the game (after rounds 3, 6, 8 and 9), “The Banker” will call and offer the player an amount of money (or prize) to quit the game. His offer will be based on what amounts are still “up for grabs in the cases that are left. He is trying to offer you a deal to get out of the game (thus keeping him from having to give the player the maximum amount possible). The player can either accept the offer or decline the offer (“Deal? Or No Deal?”).

Now, the game begins. Each “round”, the player will choose a numbered case, and the holder of the case will open it to reveal how much money is in the case. The hope is to eliminate the cases with the lower prize amounts first.

When the banker “calls” to offer a deal, have the audience try to help the player choose whether or not they should take the deal. Play up the drama. It should be a lot of fun.

The game is over when the player either accepts a deal from the banker or eliminates all of the cases but the one chosen. At that point, reveal what is in the player’s chosen case. That is their prize.

Deal or No Deal Game slide unavailable

Puppet SkitMaterials: Silly Willy Puppet. Optional song “For The Love of Money” by The O’Jays

Leader: What a cool day today. I can’t wait to learn all about “Deal Or No Deal”...

Optional: (Silly Willy comes out to the song “For The Love of Money” by The O’Jays; Silly Willy is going crazy because he is so excited)

Leader: Silly Willy! Are you all right?! What are you so excited about?

Silly Willy: I’ll tell you exactly what I’m excited about! I won! I won!!

Leader: You won? What did you win?

Silly Willy: The contest! The contest!

Leader: What contest? What are you talking about?

Silly Willy: The radio contest! The guy asked a trivia question and the first person to call in with the right answer won $100! I called in and I WON! Now, I’m rich, I’m rich, I’m RICH!

Leader: Well, that’s wonderful, Silly Willy! What are you going to do with all that money?

Silly Willy: I don’t know yet. I will probably buy a new DVD player, and some new CDs, and some candy, and maybe a new car!

Leader: WOW! You’re going to buy all that with $100?

Silly Willy: I don’t know, but I am going to try.

Leader: Well, I am wondering. How much of that money are you going to give to God?

Silly Willy: What? What are you talking about?

Leader: You see, the Bible teaches us that we are to give ten percent of all the money we make to Him to build His Kingdom so others can hear about His love. Ten percent. It’s called the tithe.

Silly Willy: Ten percent? Are you kidding? Ten percent of $100 would be...$10! That’s a lot of money. I don’t think I can afford to give God that much.

Leader: Can’t afford it? But, you have $100 right now. If you give God the tithe (ten percent) FIRST, then you will have plenty of money leftover to buy the things you need.

Silly Willy: But, ninety is not enough. I’ll just give God what’s left over.

Leader: Can I ask you a question? Who is the one who blessed you with that money to begin with?

Silly Willy: That’s easy. It was the radio guy.

Leader: Well, he may have given it to you, but the Bible teaches us that every good blessing we receive comes from God. That means that God is the one who gave you that money to begin with. Shouldn’t you give to Him FIRST instead of giving Him your leftovers?

Silly Willy: Well, yeah, I guess you are right. That’s kind of selfish of me to want to spend it all on myself and not put God first.

Leader: It sure is. Besides, our Power Verse today teaches us that if we will give to God first, then He will make sure that we get all that we need.

Silly Willy: Wow! I sure am glad I talked to you today. I am going to give God my tithe (that’s ten percent) first and trust Him to provide for everything I need. I’m not gonna give God my leftovers.

Leader: Good decision! We’ll see you later, Silly Willy!

Silly Willy: See you later everyone! Bye

Illustrated MessageMaterials: 1 bowl fresh hot spaghetti, 1 bowl of old nasty dried up leftover spaghetti, several pieces of play or real money
Illustrated Message - Title SlideIllustrated Message - Title Slide

Hold up money

Money is very important in our lives. You need money to pay bills, to buy food, to put gas in your car, to do just about anything. A lot of people put their entire life’s focus and energy on getting as much money as they possibly can. They will work long hours, sacrifice relationships, even steal from others in order to get more and more money.

Although money is important it should never be the #1 most important thing in our lives. GOD should always be #1. If we put money before God, it becomes an idol. That is sin.

To help us understand the place that money should come in our lives, today we are going to learn three very important things about money.

Illustrated Message - Everything I Own Belongs To GodIllustrated Message - Everything I Own Belongs To God

God made everything. He made you. He made me. He gave us life. He also gave us the strength and the abilities we have that help us make money. If God created me, and everything I have is a result of the gift of life He gave me, then it only makes sense that everything I have I received from God. Right?

You see, the Bible teaches that all things were created by God and belong to God. He chooses to give those things to His children. We must realize that everything we have belongs to God. We can’t say, “This is MY money!’ We can’t say, “This is MY stuff!” Everything we have we received from Him. He is just letting us use it while we are here on Earth.

I hear so many people say, “I can’t give that much of MY money to God. I know it is important to pay the tithe (ten percent of all money we make is to go to the church to help tell others about Jesus), but I just can’t afford to give that much of MY money to God.” Remember, it’s not YOUR money.

I also hear people say, “Well, I will use my money to pay my bills, buy important stuff for me, and if I have some money left over, then I will give that to God. If not, then oh well.”

Picture this with me. You are invited over to someone’s house. They are honoring you as their guest. They say, “You are my guest." I am honored that you are here. Please sit down at my table. I have a special meal I have prepared for you.” Then, they bring out some fresh steaming hot spaghetti they have prepared just for you.

Bring out the HOT spaghetti and play it up.

Now, that would be awesome wouldn’t it? You would definitely feel honored.

Now, picture this with me. You are invited over to someone’s house. They are honoring you as their guest. They say, “You are my guest. I am honored that you are here. Please sit down at my table. I have a special meal I have prepared for you.” Then, they bring out some nasty dried up spaghetti that they had fixed several nights earlier.

Bring out the dried up leftover spaghetti and play it up.

They are giving you leftovers. Now, does that make you feel honored? Of course not. That is exactly what we do to God sometimes.

Illustrated Message - I Must Not Give God My LeftoversIllustrated Message - I Must Not Give God My Leftovers

Many times we say we will give to God if we have some left over. Instead, we should be choosing to put God FIRST in our lives. We give to him FIRST. That is how we show that we honor Him.

Remember our Power Verse today? It says, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness...” You see, the tithe is supposed to come out of the FIRST ten percent of the money we make, not the LAST. If you put God first, that shows that you honor Him.

I know what many of you are thinking. “But, what do I do if I pay my tithe and I don’t have enough to pay for the things I must have?” Well, what did the rest of our Power Verse say? “...and all these things will be given to you as well."

Illustrated Message - Put God First, And He Will Take Care Of The RIllustrated Message - Put God First, And He Will Take Care Of The R

If we honor God by putting Him first, recognizing that He owns everything we have anyway, then He will make sure our lives are taken care of. Now, that doesn’t mean that we can pay our tithe then make a Christmas Wish List of all the things we want God to give us. But, it does mean that if we put God first before money, then He will make sure our needs are met. That’s God Deal. And, it’s a great deal. It’s our choice. We can either live the way He planned for us and say, “DEAL!” Or we can decided to try to make it on our own and say, “NO DEAL!” I don’t know about you, but I think God’s deal is a GREAT deal!

Play soft music

Pray that the kids will never choose to put money before God. Have them stand if they have decided to say, “DEAL” to God. Then, challenge them to bring money for the offering next week.

Review Questions

  1. What was today’s Big Idea? Answer: God’s Deal Is A Great Deal!

  2. What was the name of the guy on the video who taught us? Answer: Ed E. Money

  3. What did Ed E Money make the guy drink? Answer: A raw egg

  4. What was Ed E. Money’s daughter’s name? Answer: Penny

  5. How much money did Silly Willy win? Answer: $100

  6. Where did he win the money? Answer: From the radio station

  7. What is it called to give God ten percent of the money you make? Answer: The tithe

  8. What was today’s Power Verse? Answer: “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

  9. Everything I own belongs to __________. Answer: God

  10. Should we give God our leftovers? Answer: No!